Baby Bok Choy with Garlic and Ginger
Change up your vegetables with this easy baby bok choy made in 15 minutes or less.
Have you ever been in a vegetable side dish rut where it’s either green beans, peas or corn with dinner?
It happens to me often.
The good news is that it’s easy to break out of that rut because there are so many kinds of fresh vegetables available at our fingertips.
About this Recipe
Baby bok choy is a delicious option for a vegetable change-up.
Baby bok choy has a mild cabbage taste (which makes sense since it’s a type of Chinese cabbage).
In this recipe, the baby bok choy is lightly sautéed, and then steamed in a skillet with fresh minced garlic and ginger root.
Then it’s topped with a drizzle of quick sauce made from the leftovers in the pan (garlic, ginger, soy sauce) plus sesame oil.
And I especially like it cooked to where the bottom ends of the stalks have a slight crunch to them.
Let’s check out the ingredients.
Baby bok choy, garlic, ginger, olive oil, soy sauce, sesame oil, water and sesame seeds
HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
A printable recipe with the measurements and instructions is located at the bottom of this post.
First, rinse the bok choy really good.
TIP – Rinse especially well in the middle and in between each stalk (this is where sand and grit may be).
For the Baby Bok Choy:
On a cutting board, carefully cut off the excess stem ends at the base of each bunch of bok choy.
TIP – Be careful not to cut too much of the stem end off or the stalks won’t have anything to hold on to and they’ll fall off from the bunch.
Next, cut the bok choy in half lengthwise.
Once each bunch is cut in half, if you like, you can give the bok choy another rinse in between each stalk since they’re more accessible (it’s so awful to bite into something that has a gritty crunch that shouldn’t be there).
Then peel and mince both the garlic and ginger root. Set aside.
For Cooking:
Heat a skillet on low heat and add olive oil.
With a heat resistant spatula, spread the olive oil around the pan (or carefully tilt the pan to spread the oil).
Garlic and Ginger:
Add the garlic and ginger to the pan.
Stir the garlic and ginger in with the oil…
…this not only coats the garlic and ginger but also adds flavor to the oil.
Let cook (while stirring) until the garlic and ginger start to sizzle (about 3 minutes).
Add Baby Bok Choy to the Pan:
Lay the bok choy in the pan cut-side-down.
Pack the bok choy into the pan in a single layer.
In the 12-inch skillet that I used, I was able to put 10 halves (5 small bok choy bunches) in the pan.
The amount that can fit in this size skillet would depend on how big the bunches of baby bok choy are.
Let cook in the pan for 2 minutes.
Water:
Then drizzle water over the bok choy.
Cover with a Lid:
Then cover the pan with a lid (don’t be like me and pick the wrong size pan lid out of the kitchen cabinet…oh well, if it works).
Let the bok choy steam (still on low heat) for 3 minutes…
…or until it’s just tender when pierced with the tip of a knife (but still has a slight crunch to it at the wide end of each stalk).
Soy Sauce:
Drizzle soy sauce on top of the bok choy.
Transfer the baby bok choy from the pan on to a serving dish.
Remove the pan from the heat…
…and carefully transfer the remaining contents (bits of garlic and ginger, and liquid) from the pan into a small bowl.
In the bowl, add sesame oil…
…stir…
…and drizzle on top of the baby bok choy.
Serve:
Serve warm as a side dish…
…either cut-side up…
…or cut-side down.
Garnish with sesame seeds (optional).
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Baby Bok Choy with Garlic & Ginger
Ingredients
- 5 small bunches of baby bok choy rinsed well; especially in the middle and in between each stalk (this is where sand and grit may be).
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced or grated (peeled) ginger root
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 pinches sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- On a cutting board, carefully cut off the excess stem ends at the base of each bunch of bok choy. Be careful not to cut too much of the stem end off or the stalks won't have anything to hold on to and they'll fall off from the bunch.
- Cut the bok choy in half lengthwise. Once each bunch is cut in half, if you like, you can give the bok choy another rinse in between each stalk since they're more accessible.
- Heat a skillet on low heat and add olive oil. With a heat resistant spatula, spread the olive oil around the pan (or carefully tilt the pan to spread the oil).
- Add the garlic and ginger to the pan. Stir the garlic and ginger in with the oil, this not only coats the garlic and ginger but also adds flavor to the oil. Let cook (while stirring) until the garlic and ginger start to sizzle (about 3 minutes).
- Then, lay the bok choy in the pan cut-side-down.
- Pack the bok choy into the pan in a single layer. In a 12-inch skillet about 10 halves (5 small bok choy bunches) may fit in the pan if the bunches are on the small side.
- Drizzle water over the bok choy and cover with a lid. Let steam (still on low heat) for 3 minutes or until the bok choy is just tender when pierced with the tip of a knife (but still has a slight crunch to it at the wide end of each stalk).
- Drizzle soy sauce on top of the bok choy. Transfer the bok choy from the pan on to a serving dish.
- Remove the pan from the heat and carefully transfer the remaining contents (bits of garlic and ginger, and liquid) from the pan into a small bowl. In the bowl, add sesame oil and stir.
- Drizzle the sauce on top of the bok choy.
- Serve warm as a side dish, either cut-side up or cut-side down. Garnish with sesame seeds.
Video
Notes
TIPS:
- Rinse the baby bok choy especially well in the middle and in between each stalk (this is where sand and grit may be).
- Be careful not to cut too much of the stem end off or the stalks won't have anything to hold on to and they'll fall off from the bunch.
Vegetable Recipes
Here are more vegetable recipes you may like “Garlic, Wasabi and Sage Green Beans“, “Bourbon and Maple Brussels Sprouts with Pear and Feta Cheese” and “Grilled Corn with Basil and Gorgonzola Blue Cheese“.
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More Asian Inspired Recipes You May Like:
Pan-Fried Pork and Cilantro Dumplings
Sweet and Spicy Chicken with Rice
Tempura Shrimp with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
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Just made this side dish following your recipe exactly as you instructed..it turned out amazing. Had to have a little taste before leaving the kitchen right!! The ingredient measures were spot on and the taste perfect..thanks for this.
Hi Judy, I’m so glad you liked this. Thank you so much for leaving a comment to let me know and for your recipe rating!
You forgot to enlist soy sauce as an ingredient but you ask to use it on the Step by step, I’m just wondering how much soy sauce do we need?
Hi Morris, thank you so much for catching this and letting me know. I just fixed it in the recipe. It should be 2 tablespoons of soy sauce. Thank you again!